Oswald Ingraham dies at 83

James Oswald Ingraham, former member of Parliament, speaker of the House, and deputy to the governor general, died on Monday at Princess Margaret Hospital.

He was 83.

Ingraham was born in Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera on June 24, 1937.

A member of the Progressive Liberal Party, Ingraham served as the MP for Central and South Eleuthera from 2002 to 2012. He also served as the 50th speaker of the House of Assembly from 2002 to 2007. 

In the early 1950s, Ingraham accepted a messenger position at Barclays Bank on Eleuthera. He became the first black employee at the bank.

By the 1980s, Ingraham purchased a plot of land in his hometown of Tarpum Bay, which he eventually transformed into a resort complex.

He was a noted businessman in the tourism industry, served as a justice of the peace and was a part of the Association of Brethren in The Bahamas and the Eleuthera branch of Gideons International. 

A full life

In a statement, PLP Leader Philip Brave Davis hailed Ingraham as a fair speaker who was “gracious in his deportment and the consummate statesman”. 

“Oswald Ingraham lived a full life and made his contributions to The Bahamas in both the private and public sectors,” Davis said.

“We thank him for his service as he transitions into eternity.

“Death is not a full stop, but a mere comma in the sentence of life; therefore, Oswald may be absent in the flesh but present in the spirit as he lives on in the hearts and minds of those who knew and loved him.”

Former Prime Minister and PLP Leader Perry Christie said he is indebted to the support Ingraham showed him in his life.

“He was a great friend and a loyal and dependable ally through thick and thin, in good times and in bad,” Christie said.

“I will miss him greatly.

“On behalf of my wife Bernadette and myself, I extend heartfelt condolences to his widow Marie for whom his passing must be a particularly painful blow.

“They enjoyed 62 years of marital bliss. Oswald was seldom to be seen without her. They shared an incredible closeness, and their mutual love and support was a source of enormous admiration.”

PLP Senator Fred Mitchell said that he knew Ingraham for the entirety of his political life.

“We worked very closely together, certainly when I was a member of the Cabinet and he was the speaker of the House,” he said.

Mitchell said that Ingraham was “an excellent man” who had “a great sense of pride”.

Most of all, Mitchell highlighted the strength of Ingraham’s relationship with his wife Marie.

“I’d never seen a couple who was so inseparable,” Mitchell said.

“It was an incredible relationship that they had”.

Free National Movement Chairman Carl Culmer extended condolences to Ingraham’s family on behalf of the party.

“We pray for his family and loved ones in their time of grief,” Culmer said.

“May he rest in peace.”

 Ingraham is survived by his wife Marie and his six children: Terry, Dwight, Wayne, Jackie, Wendy, and Velma.

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